The present disclosure generally relates to holding equipment for adjustably supporting a pole-like or tubular member in a range of positions. More particularly, the present disclosure pertains to a fishing rod holder which is pivotally adjustable about both horizontal and vertical pivot axes at the same time in an efficient manner.
Fishing boats are commonly equipped with mounting tracks or brackets along their port and starboard gunnels and transom top board to enable fishermen to use more than one fishing rod in order to multiply the number of possibilities for catching fish simultaneously. When so equipping fishing boats for use with multiple fishing rods deployed, it is necessary to adjust the holders into which the fishing rods are telescopically and removably inserted, handle end first, so that the respective fishing lines running from the tips of these rods do not interfere with each other. Moreover, different fishing techniques require that the fishing rods be tilted at different angles about both vertical and horizontal axes of rotation. Such dual axial adjustment is particularly desirable in commercial fishing where it is desirable to have the rod swingably adjustable about a vertical axis while extended at art angle oriented about a horizontal axis ranging from a vertical or upright position to a full down position parallel to the water surface.
Although a variety of different types of adjustable fishing rod holders have been developed, such devices require less than efficient manipulation of different structural arrangements to attain the aforementioned usage parameters. For example, certain known fishing rod holders providing pivotal movement about one or more axes require multiple locking mechanisms or steps and/or necessitate the use of two hands to effect the desired adjustment, and as a result, there remains room for improvement in these devices. That is, there is a need to improve the manner with which a fishing rod holder can be adjusted about vertical and horizontal pivot axes and to be securely held in the angular range of such pivotal movement. There is also a need to improve the range of pivotal adjustment so that the fishing rod holder can be moved through a widest possible range of horizontal and vertical movement. Further, there is a need for an adjustable fishing rod holder which makes it easier for a fisherman to remove a fishing rod from the holder when a fish strikes, but which will retain a given rod attitude if a fish strikes while the rod is in the holder.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an improved fishing rod holder that is conveniently adjustable to establish a variety of angular positions about both vertical and horizontal pivot axes simultaneously, that is easily engageable and disengageable among the variety of these angular ranges of pivotal motion using a one-handed operation, and that is designed to simplify removal of the rod from the holder even as the holder is being moved about the vertical and/or horizontal pivot axes.
It is likewise desirable to provide an improved adjustable holding and mounting mechanism with the foregoing characteristics that is adaptable to a number of applications that call for pivotal motion with locking and unlocking in a range of positions as may be useful in mounting similar pole-like members, such as flags, microphones, cameras with tabular handles, and the like.